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What island did Canada almost buy?

In 1917, then-prime minister Robert Borden suggested that Canada annex the Turks and Caicos Islands. The idea was not accepted by the parliament of the United Kingdom.



Canada has a long-running "flirtation" with annexing the Turks and Caicos Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic that is currently a British Overseas Territory. The idea of Turks and Caicos becoming Canada's "11th province" or a new territory dates back to 1868 and has been formally proposed multiple times, notably by Prime Minister Robert Borden in 1917 and various MPs in 1974, 1986, and 2004. Supporters argue it would give Canada a "home in the sun," while the islands would benefit from Canadian social services and economic stability. In 2014, the islands' Premier visited Ottawa to explore a closer "association." While various reports, such as the 1980s Daubney Report, suggested that a full union might be complex due to immigration and healthcare costs, the proposal remains a popular topic of discussion among both Canadians seeking a domestic tropical getaway and islanders looking for stronger North American ties.

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